


The Celestial Harmonies of Fire and Water

by FireEye



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 10:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17765372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireEye/pseuds/FireEye
Summary: Keeping secrets is part of the trade.  It can also be dangerous as Hell.





	The Celestial Harmonies of Fire and Water

**Author's Note:**

  * For [meggsy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meggsy/gifts).



Brightly colored lamps had been strung along the market square, illuminating the bartering tables and the barterers.  The gambling booths, and the fortune tellers, and the miracle-sellers.  The warm midsummer night brought revelers and seekers from their homes to mingle in the open.

The tea on the table grew cooler as her eyes searched the crowd.  Taking in all the little things, wondering over what most people took for granted.

There were two people in particular that caught her attention.  They stood together in the shadow of a fruit cart, close enough to hold their arms about each other and yet pressing their faces closer together as if that still wasn’t close enough.

It stirred something in her as she watched.  A familiar ache that didn’t seem to have a source, and the further she tried to chase it, the less sense it made.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen it, but it was the first time she asked.

“Why do they do that?”

“Hmm?”

Turning her head towards her master, she caught his eye, then turned back to the crowd.  He followed her gaze.

“Oh...”  Asra fidgeted.  “It’s just... it’s a sign of affection; something... people do when they care about each other.”

Nyx fixed him with a discerning stare.  Asra had never done that with her.

“Do you... do you not care about me then?”

A bright flush colored Asra’s cheeks.  Faust slithered off his shoulder, taking refuge among the biscuits.  “It’s not like that.”

Her gaze was drawn back to the fruit cart.

“Don’t stare, Nyx,” Asra admonished her gently.  “People... they like their privacy.  They’ll consider it rude.”

Dipping in finger into her tea, she stirred the amber liquid until it grew warm again.  Asra went back to laying out his cards; whatever it was he saw in them, it made him frown.

***

“You said you were staying.”

And yet, when they got home, Asra said he was leaving.

Like something in the weather had changed, and was taking him with it.

“I’ll be back,” he promised.  “You’re strong enough for me to leave you alone, now.  I’m proud of you.”

The praise settled cold in her stomach.

“ _When_ will you be back?”

“Soon enough.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s an answer,” Asra told her.  “It’s simply not the answer you want to hear.”

Nyx huffed, her steps heavy as she headed for the stairs.  “Goodnight, then.  Safe journey.”

***

She hadn’t meant to stay out so late... not that Asra was home to scold her for it.  She had simply gotten lost in thought, and the stars were lovely.

Nyx took a shortcut, through the back alleys that would bypass the longer, more roundabout route that would take her through the busier streets.

“He’s lying to you.”

The voice came from out of the dark, and stopped her cold.  Casting about, Nyx found a shadow watching her from beneath a moonless alcove.  There was a strong sense of magic about her, and Nyx couldn’t remember ever having seen her before.

She stepped closer.

“...what?”

“Your master,” the stranger said simply.  “He’s lying to you.”

“He isn’t.”

“Oh, he most certainly is,” she said.  “He’s secretive, he keeps thing from you.”

“He’s a magician.  Secrets come with the trade.”

“Aren’t you also a magician?”  She inclined her head, staring down at Nyx.  “What if I told you, it was he who locked your memories away?”

“I would say that you’re the liar.”

The stranger grinned.

“There is a knife.  Asra keeps it hidden away, in a secret compartment in the bookcase with the cupboards.  Bring it to me, and I will tell you more.”

Nyx stared at her.  “I don’t trust you.”

“You will.”

 

When she got home, Nyx heated herself a cup of tea, pushing the conversation out of mind.

She woke in the early afternoon, following a restless sleep filled with the nightmares of lost memories.

***

“Asra’s taken himself away somewhere again, eh?”

“Yes.”

With a sigh, the baker seated himself at her table.  He offered her a kindly smile.

“Don’t be down about it, Nyx; he’ll be back before you know it.”

“...do we know each other?”

The baker’s face fell, and she shook her head.  “I know we know each other now, but... did we know each other _before_?”

His expression grew pensive.

“I’m not sure Asra-...”

“I _need_ to know.”  Nyx sighed, lowering her voice.  “...please?  Asra... never tells me anything.  I just... I need something of _mine_ back, that isn’t all his.”

Scratching the back of his neck, the baker opened his mouth, then shook his head.  He half-nodded.

“We... grew up on the same street, you and I.”

“And... Asra?”

The baker shook his head.  “I’m not sure.  I was apprenticed back then, so I was a bit busy to notice; it seemed to me he showed up one day, and the two of you were inseparable ever after.”

“ _Were_ inseparable.”

“Well... the days grew dark.  But we all made it through them as best we could.”

“Some of us made it better than others.”

Rising to his feet, the baker stepped around behind her chair.  His hands were warm where they settled upon her shoulders, but she didn’t find much comfort in them.

“Don’t think like that, Nyx,” he told her.  “I know it’s hard now, but it’s gotten better.  It’ll get better, still.  We have to believe it.”

***

The bottom shelf of the bookcase slid back.  There was a small compartment between the shelf and the cupboard, wide enough for her to fit her hand into but not by much.  It was deeper than she could see, even with a light, and when she reached down into it, her fingers brushed against something leathery.  She grasped at it.

Then froze...

...as something cool and dry coiled tightly around her arm.

Pulling her arm free, Nyx huffed a sigh of relief.

“Faust!”  Waving her arm, she tried to coax Asra’s familiar to let go.  “Ah... off, _off_.”

Detaching herself, Faust slithered away along the bookshelf.

Nyx looked down.

In her hand, she held a sheathed knife – its handle was made of some kind of bone, and when she pulled it free of its sheath, she found its silver blade was etched with runes she didn’t know.

***

She pulled up a wisp of light, and found herself staring at a giant of a man.  Chains rattled under his cloak as he took a step towards her.  He stared her down, then his gaze fell.

He stopped, eyes widening as caught sight of the knife in her hand.

“...what are you doing with that?”

She tensed.

“ _Give it to me_.”

He made a grab for her, and she _ran_.

***

Her pace slowed, but her pulse quickened.

All at once, she didn’t know why she was running.

Looking to the knife in her hands, she felt herself at a loss.

What was she even doing?

As she stared, fixated, the shadows moved around her.  Finding the stranger from before standing over her shoulder, she started, spinning around to face her.  It seemed for all the world that the woman had been waiting for her... although Nyx didn’t know how they had found each other on the desolate streets.

She plucked the knife from Nyx’s hands, and flipped it over.  She pulled it an inch from its sheath, and her eyes practically glowed with glee.

Then, quite simply, she handed it back.

“Asra was jealous of your power.  He locked your memories away, so he could steal it for himself.”

Nyx swallowed.

That didn’t sound like the Asra she knew, and yet...

...if she were entangled in a spell, would she even know it?

“What are you offering?”

“I can free you from him.”

“What do you get out of it?”

“That would be between me and him.”

“Think about it, Nyx...” the woman purred.  “No more secrets.  No more being held back.  No more _not knowing_ what is rightfully yours to know.”

Looking to the knife in her hands, Nyx weighed the bargain in her mind.

“What do I have to do?”

***

The bell jangled harshly as she rushed through the door of the only home she had ever known.  Her shoulders slumped as she leaned into the counter...

...and she bolted upright again as the curtain to the back room was pulled back.  Asra stood behind it, and a faint smile touched his features when he saw her.

“What are you doing back?” Nyx whispered, harsher than she intended, as he came to stand before her.

“Faust was worried about you.”  Concern lurked deep within his eyes; Asra tried to school it from his expression, but it was there.  “Are you alright?”

“No.”

“Headaches?”

Nyx caught his fingers as he reached for her forehead, pushing his hand away.

“No.”

His fingers came to rest under her chin, instead.  His thumb brushed lightly under her lip.  “What’s wrong?”

“Why do we do this?”

Asra blinked at her, letting his hand drop.  “Why do we do what?”

“Why do we drift around each other...?  Living, breathing, _existing_ in separate worlds?”  Once the question was asked, the rest cascaded out in a rush.  “Why can’t we ever touch?  What are you so afraid of?  What’s the worst that could happen if you’re honest with me?”

Asra shook his head.  Slowly, at first, then with a decisive denial.

“You’re not ready.  There’s so much more you need to understand.”

“I can’t understand anything if you never tell me anything.”

His hands settled on her shoulders.

“Soon.  I promise.”

Nyx shrugged out of his grip.

“That’s all you ever say.”

 

Asra didn’t push her.  They spent the rest of the evening apart.

When he finally fell asleep, she crept upstairs.  Standing over the bed, she slid the knife free of its sheath.

***

Her heart was in her throat as she snuck out.

As she followed the alley to the back streets, the sound of chains shadowed her footsteps.  Whirling, she found a heavily cloaked giant of a man behind her, staring down at her.

“Who are you?”

“Why are you consorting with a djinn?”

 _Djinn_?

But then, did it matter, so long as it was the truth?

“Because my master has been lying to me.”  Hesitantly, Nyx added, “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“He has?” Aside, entirely to himself, he murmured, “I suppose he has, hasn’t he?”

Even admitting it, the man sounded skeptical.  Nyx never felt more certain.

“Yes,” she told him.  “And I should have seen it before.  He never even cared about me, like other people care about each other.”

The man stared at her blankly.

“...that is... the _stupidest_ thing I’ve ever heard.”

Nyx raised her chin defiantly.

Unimpressed, he asked, “Where’s the knife?  Give it to me _now_.”

 

It felt oddly familiar, running.

***

Nyx stood in the empty town square.  She pulled the knife from her satchel, along the small lock of white hair.

The shadows melted together, to materialize into a familiar form.

“You’ve done well,” the woman praised her.  “But I expected no less.”

Nyx couldn’t find her voice.

The token in her hand held no answers.

“Now, give me what’s mine.”

Torn, she hesitated.

Closing her eyes, she whispered an old charm.  She’d made it herself, long ago, to sooth the long nights when Asra first left her alone.

When she opened her eyes, Asra was there.

In the moonless night, alongside her.

“Nyx...” His hand came to rest on the small of her back.  “I don’t know what she’s told you, but you can’t listen to her.  She’s using you to get to me.”

Nyx turned to face him.

“Who am I supposed to listen to?  You, _Master_?  You never tell me _anything_.”

Asra flinched at the bitterness in her voice. 

“You’re right.  I don’t.  I-...” He sighed.  Despite everything else, the pain etched into his face made her hurt, deep inside.  “Listen to _yourself_ , Nyx...  Your heart knows the answer.”

Shaking her head, the woman gave a sarcastic applause.

“How _touching_ ,” she said.  “Now then, if you’re done with your little drama, your apprentice and I had a deal.”

Nyx bowed her head.  Asra might not have been being truly honest with her...

...but he had never been _malevolent_.  Not like the oily darkness that rolled off the woman as she stepped closer.

Her hand tightened around the knife.

A rush of magic filled the air.

Asra rushed forward behind her, covering her escape as Nyx made a dash for the darkened streets, only to tangle in a pair of strong arms hidden in the shadows.  She kicked and bit, to no avail.

When she turned back, her heart skipped.

It was bright.

Brighter than midday.

The pressure built until it burst.  The force of it knocked Asra off his feet.  The man held her back, standing fast and protecting her bodily against the rush of energy.  Warmth washed over them.

The djinn’s form dissolved to ash.

With the danger thus passed, the man shoved her aside, rushing to drop at Asra’s side.  Her master gasped as the large stranger knelt beside him.  “Nyx... is she alright?”

“She is.  You’re not.”

Mindful of the bloody gash coloring Asra’s shirt, the man gathered him into his arms, lifting him easily.  Then, he looked at Nyx.

“Come on, then.”

When she hung back, shoulders hunched, the man sighed.

“You’ve caused enough trouble.  You can’t do as you’re told for once?”

Nyx didn’t know what to feel.

But she didn’t feel _right_.

***

The hut was heavily warded.  More so than the shop, and strange it was to feel in a place with practically nothing of worth to steal.

Muriel – as Asra had called him – sat carving a branch at the table.  Together they had bundled Asra into bed and tended his wounds, and now Muriel barely deigned acknowledge her existence.  Nyx sat, numb, watching the fire.

Threads of magic called to her, turning her head.  Climbing to her feet, she followed.

A bear figurine, hidden away in the darkened corner.  Heavily charmed.  Nyx reached out her hand.

“This... is Asra’s magic.  But why...?”

 _Why_ was it charmed?

“ _Don’t_.”

Muriel snapped the branch, lurching to his feet and Nyx jerked her hand back.  His breath came sharply through his teeth as he stood up, and he stared down at her.

When he spoke, his voice was desperately soft.  “It’s _not_ Asra’s magic.”

Nyx glanced at the figurine.  She could feel the aura, pulsing and calling to her.  “But... it is...?”

“It’s Phoenix’s.”

Where had she heard that name before?  _Had_ she heard that name before?

“...who’s Phoenix?”

“Phoenix, she...”  His gaze was drawn to Asra on the bed, before back to Nyx.  “She... had an affinity for fire magic.”

Her gaze was again drawn to the figurine.

“Asra has an affinity for water.”

Nyx didn’t have much of an affinity for anything.  Asra once told her that her magic was yet too raw.

“Yes.”

“But-...”

“They were born in the same city, within the same hour, of the same day, at the zenith, under the sign of Gemini.  Not even twins share that kind of cosmology.”

“Where is she?”

“She died.  The spell on that figurine is all that’s left of her.”  Muriel stared at the fire.  “Her death broke Asra.  He twisted nature to create _you_ , in her image.”

A sensation of wrongness, cold and needled, slithered in the pit of her stomach.

“...you’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

Asra stirred.  His voice was lost and far away, calling her by name.

Muriel lumbered towards him, and Nyx stared at his back.

“You’re _lying_....”

With Muriel’s help, Asra sat up.  He swallowed hard, rubbing some of the grogginess out of his face.  His eyes grew wide as Nyx rushed for the door, and he cried after her.

***

The stars were bright in the night sky, approaching dawn.

“Where are we...?”

“In the forest.”

There was a window to the sky through the canopy overhead.  Nyx blinked at the stars, mapping the familiar constellations.  There was a blanket wrapped around them, heavy and warm, and Faust sat coiled in her lap.  Fireflies glimmered in the thick darkness between the trees surrounding them.

“...what... are we doing out here...?”  Her eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of it.  “I don’t remember...”

He held her loosely, and sighed against her shoulder.  Tired.  Worn.

“That’s alright,” he told her.  “You fell asleep is all.”

“Master...?”

“Shhh...”  He assured her, “We’re safe here.”

Quietly, they sat together.  Closer, in some strange familiar way, than Nyx could remember.  Asra wove his fingers through her hair, gentle and warm, and she lost herself to the sensation of the here and now.

As the sky grew lighter, she watched stars fade from the sky, one by one.

**Author's Note:**

> -The bit of plot kind of got away from me, there, but please accept this thing. ^^;  
> -Muriel's an unreliable narrator here, but from the start I really figured there has to be _something_ behind what seems to be his rejection of the Apprentice, beyond mere jealousy of Asra's relationship with them. One of Asra's postcards says Muriel misses them, too, which... kinda broke my heart a little since he seems to be so gruff about them in general while being so much softer with Asra.  
> -Anyway, I do hope you enjoy. :)


End file.
